A number of blemishes on his record will be a challenge for the former chairman of the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) if he wants show that he is a better man than people say he is.

Ma’ruf was chosen by Joko Widodo and his coalition partners in the final moments before the registration for presidential and vice-presidential candidates. It is difficult to deny that Ma’ruf was chosen merely for Jokowi’s electoral reasons&